|
HIS
SERVANTS' MINISTRY
www.godcannotlie.org
Welcome to our website
The Book of Joel
Chapter 3
Day of the Lord Foretold,
God’s Vengeance on Israel’s Foes, Joel 3:1-8
Joel 3:1-2 For, behold,
in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the
captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, [2] I will also gather all nations,
and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will
plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel,
whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. (KJV) Joel is told by God that in those days, He shall restore
the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem. He shall gather the armies
of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and it is there that
He judge the nations for what they did to His people, for scattering
Israel all over the world, and for dividing His (their) land.
"For, behold, in those days." What days? The Day of Pentecost? NO! He did not
bring them back at Pentecost. Instead of bringing the captivity
back to Jerusalem, Christ, as Head of the church, gave a command
to those who have been born
again and are in the body of believers. Mark
16:15 And he said unto
them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature. (KJV) In other words, Jesus is
saying to us all: “Go to the
ends of the earth. Take the message that I am raised from the
dead. Tell them that God is gracious and longsuffering and merciful,
and that whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be
saved.” That is the Gospel!
“In that time” refers
to the time when those who call on the Lord will be saved (Joel
2:32). God will not only bless believers with everything they
need; He will also bless them by destroying all evil and ending
the pain and suffering on Earth. This prophecy I believe could
have three fulfillments: immediate, ongoing, and final.
- Its immediate explanation
could apply to King Jehoshaphat’s recent battle against
several enemy nations, including Moab and Ammon (2 Chron. 20).
- Its ongoing fulfillment
could be the partial restoration of the people to their land
after the exile to Babylon.
- And the final fulfillment
will come in the great battle that precedes the Messiah’s
reign over the Earth (Rev. 20:7-9).
The Gospel seems so simple that the smarter
and more educated a person is, the harder it is for them to see;
it seems to elude them. So many people miss it today. How wonderful
it is! All you do is believe! John
6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This
is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (KJV) The only “work” God requires of you
is to believe Him! I do not believe in a works salvation
(Eph.2:8-9), but I do believe in a salvation that works. This
is important! If you have truly
been saved, you want, you desperately desire, to get the Gospel
out. You want to obey Christ’s no-option command to us.
If you have no desire to obey Christ, I seriously question your
faith . . . not your works, because true faith works, and does
it willingly and considers it an awesome privilege!
Before the Lord Jesus comes back to the
Earth again, believers will already have appeared before His Judgment Seat to see whether or not they are to receive a
reward or suffer a loss of a reward they could have had. This
is a marvelous prophecy, but it is not only found in the Book
of Joel. All the prophets mention it. One of
the last prophets, Zechariah, said the same thing. Zech.
2:10-11 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for,
lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.
[11] And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day,
and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee,
and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. (KJV) This is what Joel told the people; this was their great
hope, that the Lord will come to establish His Kingdom on the
Earth and the Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. . . . http://www.hisservants.org/judgment_seat_h_s.htm
God promises to gather ALL nations to come
up against Israel in the last days. ALL nations shall be judged! Zech. 12:3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem
a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves
with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth
be gathered together against it. [KJV] Zech. 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will
seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
[KJV] Zech. 14:2-3 For I will gather all
nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken,
and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the
city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people
shall not be cut off from the city. [3] Then shall the Lord go
forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the
day of battle. [KJV] When the Lord fights against
the nations, just who do you think shall win???
Joel 3:3 And they
have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot,
and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. (KJV) They
cast lots to decide which of God's people would be their slaves.
They traded young boys for prostitutes and little girls for enough
liquor to get drunk.
This is awful! Cruelty to children is one
of the signs of the end of an age. Pornography is rampant! It
is all over the internet! All over the world! Well to do people,
people who are well known and respected, even so called pastors
have been arrested. People sell their children, use their children
any way they can to get a lousy dollar. How many girls are being
plunged into immorality because of liquor in their homes? Young
girls become prostitutes because of conditions at home. Joel says
people will cast lots to decide who would be their slaves. They
traded young boys for prostitutes and little girls for enough
wine to get drunk. This is sickening! And worse yet, it shall
be fulfilled, even more so than today!
Joel 3:4 Yea, and
what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts
of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense
me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your
own head; (KJV) God wants to know what Tyre and Sidon have
against Him. Is revenge on their minds? If that's it, beware!
You won't win. He shall strike swiftly and pay them back for everything
you have done.
God talks to the people through Joel: “What
do you have against me, Tyre and Sidon and you cities of Philistia?
Are you trying to take revenge on me? If you are, beware! I will
strike swiftly and pay you back for everything you have done.”
Joel 3:5-6 Because
ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your
temples my goodly pleasant things: [6] The children also of Judah
and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians,
that ye might remove them far from their border. (KJV) God's
enemies had taken His silver and gold and all His precious treasures,
and you have carried them off to your pagan temples. They had
sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, who took
them far from their homeland.
Even in Joel’s time, the children
of Israel were being sold into slavery, even before Rome had come
to power. Tyre and Zidon had taken the silver and gold and all
the precious Temple treasures, and carried them off to your pagan
temples. They sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks,
who took them far from their homeland.
Joel 3:7-8 Behold,
I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them,
and will return your recompence upon your own head: [8] And I
will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children
of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people
far off: for the Lord hath spoken it. (KJV) God promises
to pay them back for all they had done. He would sell their sons
and daughters to the people of Judah, and they in turn would sell
them to the people of Arabia, a nation far away. God has spoken!"
God’s judgment of Tyre and Sidon,
prophesied also by Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah, has all been
literally fulfilled. The restoration of the Jews, and the final
victory of true religion over any and all opposers, are in these
8 verses foretold. The Jews have most often been treated with
contempt and scorn, and little value has been set upon them. But,
this all is noticed by God. and one day, He shall make it right
with them. No one who has ever hardened his/her heart against
God or His people shall prosper long. Judgment shall come to God’s
enemies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . http://www.judgmentcoming.org/j_c_judgment_great_white_throne.htm http://www.judgmentcoming.org/j_c_judgment_sure.htm
Day of the Lord Foretold,
Looking at the Day of the Lord, Joel 3:9-17
Joel 3:9-10 Proclaim
ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men,
let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: [10] Beat
your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears:
let the weak say, I am strong. (KJV) Say to the nations:
"Get ready for war! Call your best warriors! Let all your
fighting men come up for the attack! Beat your plowshares into
swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Even your weaklings
must be called to war.
WHOA! You may say. “I
thought the Bible said to beat your swords into plowshares.”
Yes, it does say that, but that is referring to the time when
the Millennial Kingdom is established on the Earth (Isa.2:4; Mic.4:3).
Only when Christ comes again and is ruling you will anyone be
able to get rid of their sword. Until then you’d better
keep your ammunition dry and be prepared. We are living in a big,
bad, wicked world in which there are a lot of wild animals loose
. . . and these are the worst kind of wild animals, they are humans,
they are mean and ferocious and they will destroy you. There are
also nations which are like that, and we are seeing it today!
God describes nations as a lion, a bear, a panther, and an odd,
uncommon beast. Believe me, the nations of the world are worse than wild beasts. Wild beasts kill only when they are hungry.
These nations are hungry only for power and money. 1 Thes.
5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then
sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape. (KJV) We need to beat our
plowshares into swords. We need to be prepared today, for we live
in a big, bad and really crazy world.
Joel 3:11-12 Assemble
yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together
round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.
[12] Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of
Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round
about. (KJV) Come quickly, all you heathen nations everywhere!
Gather together in the valley.
And now, O Lord, call out Your warriors! Let the nations march
to the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I, the Lord, will sit to pronounce
judgment on them all.
In the Olivet Discourse the Lord Jesus
said that He will judge the nations and that He will judge them
according to the way they have treated His people. You may ask:
“Are they peculiar? Are they better?” No. Why, then,
will He judge in this way? Because the 144,000 Jewish witnesses (Rev.7) are going to be the only witnesses
upon this Earth after the church is removed. The Lord said that
if anyone gives a cup of cold water in His Name to one of these
witnesses He would reward him. In the Tribulation it would cost you your life to give a cup of cold
water to one of the 144,000 who will be witnessing for Christ
throughout the world. . . . http://www.hisservants.org/tribulation_what_h_s.htm . . . http://www.hisservants.org/tribulation_why_h_s.htm
Joel 3:13 Put ye in
the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the
press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. (KJV) The harvest is ready for harvest, swing the sickle. Come,
tread the winepress for it is full. The storage vats are overflowing
with the wickedness of these people.
When Joel speaks of a “harvest,”
he is speaking of the end of the age when judgment shall come
to ALL unbelieving people. Matthew 25:31-46 When
the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: [32]
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats: [33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but
the goats on the left. [KJV] Sheep, on His right Hand are symbolic of God's people (believers),
and goats, on His left Hand are symbolic of
the wicked (unbelievers). Sheep go to Heaven (Mat. 25:34), and
goats go to Hell (Mat.25:41).
Joel 3:14 Multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord
is near in the valley of decision. (KJV) Unnumbered crowds
are in the valley of decision. For the day of the Lord will soon
arrive.
The day of the Lord begins with the Rapture of the
church (1 Thes. 4:13-18). Immediately after the church is removed
from the Earth, the 7 year (70th week, Dan.9:27), Great Tribulation
begins. The day of the Lord continues through the Second Coming of Christ to establish His Kingdom and the judgment
as to who will enter the Kingdom. Then Christ will reign for 1000 years (Millennium). There will be a brief period
of rebellion again when Satan is let loose, then the final judgment
at the Great White Throne, and eternity will begin. All of this
is included in the Day of the Lord. . . . http://www.hisservants.org/rapture,_second_coming_h_s.htm . . . http://www.lastdaysprophecy.org/L_D_1000_years.htm
Joel 3:15 The sun
and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their
shining. (KJV)
The sun and moon will become dark, and the stars will no longer
shine.
Again Joel speaks of the disturbances in
the heavenly bodies. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and
the stars shall withdraw their shining (Mat.24:29; Mark 13:24-25;
Luke 21:25-26; Isa. 13:9-13; 34:1-2, 4, 8-10; Eze.32:7-8; Rev.8:12).
Joel 3:16-17 The Lord
also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem;
and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be
the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
[17] So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in
Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there
shall no strangers pass through her any more. (KJV) God's
Voice will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem. The Earth
and heavens will shake. But to His people Israel, the Lord will
be a welcoming refuge and a strong fortress. Then Israel will
know that the Lord God, shall live in Zion, in His my holy mountain.
Jerusalem will be holy forever more, and God's enemies will never
conquer her again.
Eze.38:18-22 And it
shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against
the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come
up in my face. [19] For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath
have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking
in the land of Israel; [20] So that the fishes of the sea, and
the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all
creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that
are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and
the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall
fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. [21] And I will
call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith
the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother.
[22] And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood;
and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many
people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones,
fire, and brimstone. (KJV)
The victories of the Jews over their cruel
foe Antiochus may be a reference to this prophecy; but the final
reference is to the last Antichrist, of whom Antiochus was a type.
Jerusalem is the central seat of the theocracy (Psalm 132:13),
it shall be from there that God thwarts the foe. Roar, as a lion
(Jer.25:30; Amos 1:2; 3:8). See other places where God’s
Voice is as thunder (Psalm 18:13; Hab.3:10-11; Rev.10:1-6). The
Lord is the hope of His people, He is their refuge (Psalm 46:1).
So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God, (Isa.60:16; Hosea
2:20).
Then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there
shall no strangers pass through her any more, God shall dwell
in Zion, and no strangers pass through to attack, or to defile,
the holy city any more (Isa.35:8; 52:1). Gentiles (nations) shall
come to Jerusalem, but it shall be in order to reverence and worship
Almighty God there (Zech. 14:16).
The enemy one day will make a frightful
descent upon the land of Israel. But they shall be under Divine
protection, and any and all attempts to annihilate them shalt
be in vain (Zech.14:2; Joel 3:2; Rev.19:11-21).
Consider what shall happen to all the enemies
of God’s people. There is NO escaping God’s judgments.
Hardened sinners, in that day of wrath, shall be cut off from
all comfort and joy. Most of the prophets foretell the same final
victory of Israel over all that oppose her. To the wicked it will
be a terrible day, but to the righteous it will be great joy.
We who love
the Lord Jesus, must love Israel too (Gen.12:3). Jesus is a Jew!
We must glory in our Strength and our Redeemer! If you do not
know Christ as your Saviour and Lord, open your heart’s
door to Him now, and flee from the wrath that is sure to come.
Day of the Lord Foretold, God’s People Blessed,
Joel now speaks of the future Millennial Kingdom,
Joel 3:18-21
Joel 3:18 And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new
wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of
Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth
of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim. (KJV) In that day the mountains will produce an abundance of grapes,
and the hills will flow with milk because of lush pastures. Water
will fill the dry streambeds of Judah, and a fountain will burst
forth from the Lord's Temple, watering the valley of Shittim.
In that day, meaning the Day of the
Lord . . . the mountains shall drop down new wine, this is
symbolic for abundance of grape vines in that day (Amos 9:13).
The hills shall flow with milk, meaning Israel shall abound in
flocks and herds yielding much milk, through the richness of the
pastures. All the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, water
is the great requirement for fertility in the parched East (Isa.30:25).
A fountain shall come forth of the House of the Lord, and shall
water the valley of Shittim. The blessings from the Lord, temporal
(physical) and spiritual, flowing from God’s House at Jerusalem,
shall extend even to Shittim, on the border between Moab and Israel,
beyond Jordan (Num.25:1; 33:49; Joshua 2:1; Mic.6:5). Shittim
means acacias, which is a tree or shrub in the mimosa family,
that grows only in dry regions: so Joel implies that even the
dry desert shall be supplied by the blessings from Jerusalem.
Eze. 47:1-12 describes the waters issuing from the threshold of
God’s House as flowing into the Dead Sea, and purifying
it. Zech.14:8 states the waters flow on one side into the Mediterranean,
on the other side into the Dead Sea, near which Shittim was situated
(Psalm 46:4; Rev.22:1).
Water will fill the dry streambeds of Judah,
and a fountain will burst forth from the Lord's Temple, watering
the arid valley of acacias. This shall be in the time of the Millennial Kingdom. Israel is short of water today, but
they will not be short in that day. Joel gives us a picture of
the restored land, one of perfect beauty, much like the Garden
of Eden was before sin set in. The life-giving fountain flowing
from the Lord’s House symbolizes the blessings that come
from God. Those who are faithful to Him will be fruitful forever
(Eze 47:1-12; Rev.22:1-2). . . . http://www.lastdaysprophecy.org/L_D_1000_years.htm
Joel 3:19 Egypt shall
be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for
the violence against the children of Judah, because they have
shed innocent blood in their land. (KJV) Egypt will become
a wasteland and Edom a wilderness, because of the way they treated
Israel, murdering people.
Egypt will become a wasteland and Edom
a wilderness, because they attacked Judah and killed her innocent
people. God will judge Egypt and Edom even into the Millennial
Kingdom. They have always been enemies of the nation Israel. Egypt
and Edom were two of Israel’s most persistent enemies. They
really represent ALL the nations hostile to Israel. God’s
Promise that they would be destroyed is also a Promise from Him
that ALL evil in the world will one day be destroyed.
Edom was conquered by David, but revolted
under Jehoram (2 Chron. 21:8-10); and at every opportunity they
tried to ruin Judah. The low condition of the two countries for
centuries proves the truth of the prediction (Isaiah 19:1; Jer.49:17;
Obadiah 10). But ALL the enemies of Israel are typified by Egypt
and Edom (Isaiah 63:1).
Joel 3:20 But Judah
shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. (KJV) But Judah will live on forever, and Jerusalem will
endure through all future generations.
Joel clearly states that Judah and Jerusalem,
which symbolizes all Israel, will remain forever. Jer.31:35-37 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a
light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars
for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof
roar; The Lord of hosts is his name: [36] If those ordinances
depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel
also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. [37]
Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the
foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast
off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith
the Lord. (KJV) I think these are amazing words from the
God of the Bible, our Creator! God has complete power to do away with the laws of nature or to do away with His
people, IF He so desired! But He will do neither
one. This is not a prophecy; this
is a Promise from God! God is simply saying that
He will NOT reject Israel any more than He will do away with the
laws that control the universe. Can anyone stop the sun, moon
and stars from giving their light? Can anyone stop the waves of
the sea? Can anyone measure the heavens or explore the foundation
of the Earth? NO! Absolutely NOT!
Then NO one shall ever be able to ruin or annihilate Israel! I
think those who hate the Jews should seriously consider this.
God does not dwell in Jerusalem today.
Jerusalem is as pagan as any city on the Earth, but there is a
day coming when the Lord shall dwell there! It is then, and only
then, that all these things Joel prophesied shall be fulfilled.
Christ Himself must be there to have these things fulfilled, and
He is not there today. At this time He is at God’s right
hand (Col.3:1; Heb.1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2). Let us always
be aware of Jesus and experience the reality of His Presence in
our lives. There is full assurance
of victory and complete peace for all those who trust in God.
Joel 3:21 For I will
cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth
in Zion. (KJV) I will pardon my people's sins, which I have
not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem
with my people.
God shall one day pardon Israel’s
sins, which He has not yet pardoned; and He shall make His Home
in Jerusalem with His people. There shall be abundant Divine influences,
and the Gospel shall spread quickly into the furthest corners
of the Earth, in all the world (Mat.24:14). There is a day coming,
when every wrong thing shall be made right. The fountain of this
abundant righteousness is in the House of God, from where the
streams rise as from an artesian well. Christ
is this Fountain! His sufferings, His merit, and
His grace, He alone is the only thing in this universe that can
cleanse, refresh, and make us fruitful. Gospel grace, flowing
from Christ, shall reach out Jews and to the Gentile (non Jew)
world, even to the most remote regions on this Earth, and they
shall abound in fruits of righteousness. And from the House of
the Lord above, from His heavenly Temple, shall flow all the good
things we will need to survive (Phil.4:15) on a daily basis, and
better yet, we have a wondrous hope to enjoy life eternally.
God is good! He was good yesterday,
He’s good today and He shall be good forever! Praise His
Holy Name, now and forever more. Thank Him for all He’s
done for you, and shall do for you in the future. God is Good
to His children! Are you in the family of God? If not, why not?
For more prophecy on the future
Millennium, see: Psalm 22:27-31; 46:10; 66:4; Psalm 68:31-32;
69:35-36; 72:1-20; 85:10-12; 86:9; 132:15-18; 138:4-5; 145:10-11;
Isa.2:2-5; Isa.4:2-3; 11:1-10; 65:17-25; Zeph. 3:11-13; Zech.
9:10; 14:16-21; Mat. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Heb. 8:11; Rev. 14:6;
20:1-15. Are you ready for the Day of the Lord? (Mat.25:13)
Book Of Joel
Ch.1 . Ch.2 . Ch.3. Home Page
|